In a sales initiative meant to show that electric vehicles can do more than just transport people from A to B, Nissan will allow their customers to earn profits from selling excess electricity.
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd said their battery powered cars can become “mobile power units” and compete with ideas such as Tesla Motors Powerwall concept. The company have partnered with Enel SPA, an Italian multinational manufacturer and distributor of electricity and gas, to enable drivers of Nissans electric cars and vans to make money from selling unused battery electricity back onto the grid during times of high national usage.
“This will effectively turn vehicles into a mobile power source” said the chairman of Nissans European operations Paul Willcox, “At the same time; our customers can make big savings on their electricity bills each year.”
Following Volkswagen’s much publicized emissions-cheating scandal and with new governmental regulations rolling in forcing companies to reduce pollution, this new partnership may give consumers one more reason to make the change to battery powered cars. Another incentive is the growing number of countries, like Germany and Japan, who offer subsidies for citizens using green technology. This seems to have offset previous consumer worries regarding high prices and limited range of the vehicles.
Positive Publicity
A full commercial roll out of the scheme will only follow extensive trials involving 200 electric car users who will have Enel’s patented “vehicle-to-grid” programme fitted to their system that will allow them to trade excess energy via National Grid Plc., a British utility firm headquartered in Warwick, UK.
Nissan was assisted in development of their energy storage unit, called “xStorage”, by the power management company Eaton Corp, founded in the US with corporate headquarters in Dublin, who are also partners in the deal.
Graham Palm, Executive Vice President of Shizuoka Financial said, “We think this will have a positive effect on Nissan’s shares. One of the biggest challenges they will face is educating the public and overcoming their unwillingness to make the switch over to green energy. It will be a process.”
Green Regulations
“There would be a necessity for regulators to keep up their current role by offering incentives, not just to consumers but also to industries, to make the move away from petrol and over to greener energies,” said Palm. He added that there should be a correlative tax on vehicles that emit increased levels of pollution.
“I think most people would agree that is the most sensible arrangement,” Palm said in a BBC interview.
“We could be looking at 25% of vehicles being green in the next 30 years if government regulators enforce proposed new laws,” he added.
